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DateOriginal Topic
23rd May 2003zulu dawn[the paperback]
By l.j.knight
i have recently discovered a copy of Zulu Dawn in paperback by Cy Endfield, the opening chapter begins with a first person narrative by none other than the hon,William Standish Verreker, an astonishing read for many reasons, can one of you out there tell me if this book is well known, and it olso begs the question, was thier a prequel book by Endfield,ie---Zulu..
DateReplies
23rd May 2003Sheldon Hall
The book sold very well on publication and is generally better regarded than the film (it was written out of Endfield's dissatisfaction with Zulu Dawn, which he scripted and which flopped at the box-office). There was no novelisation of Zulu as far as I'm aware, but the screenplay by Endfield and John Prebble was based on a short magazine article by Prebble about Rorke's Drift (as noted in the film's opening credits) and there was a Dell comic book based on the screenplay.
23rd May 2003Julian whybra
Well, I bought a copy when it came out years ago, so I imagine it's very well known. The narrative is of course fictitious.
24th May 2003Peter Ewart
Yes, I've had my copy for many years, too, and it was 2nd-hand when I acquired it. Have dipped into it at odd times but don't think I've ever read it!

Peter
26th May 2003John Clark
I've never been able to locate the Prebble article. Where and when was it published?
27th May 2003L.J.Knight.
Many thanks for your replies,yes Julian, i know the narritive is ficticius,Enfield not being around at the time.but totally fascinating all the same.and thank you peter,it may just be me, but i will read,keepand treasure anything to do with the A.Z.W. i have been collecting source material for many years now, and i would not part with any of it, money is not a consideration,the book in question is an oddity
and in this disposible society would not be as readily available as one might think.as i have stated before in this forum i am completly obsessed with the 2nd warwickshires 1782-1881. for me that ist battalion ceased to exist after Isandhlwana, my own opinion! the Zulu's
and Cardwell pretty much put paid to them.
28th May 2003Sheldon Hall
Prebble's original article, Slaughter in the Sun, was published in Lilliput magazine in 1957 under the pen-name John Curtis. It was reprinted in the American magazine Argosy to coincide with the release of ZULU. I wish you luck in trying to find it!
21st April 2005Coll
Do you think that if there had been a novelisation of Zulu back then, as mentioned above, like a prequel to the Zulu Dawn novel, would it have been popular ?

Also, if they were released individually or as a set today, would they be popular, especially with AZW enthusiasts, even as AZW collection items, complimenting the films that they were based on, which are themselves readily available in most areas ?

I'm just asking out of curiosity, as I have no idea about publishing or copyright, etc., so please don't bite my head off.

Coll